Category: home

10 Tips to Effectively Communicate with your Architect

Your new home will be an important part of your family’s life, so you chose to hire a reputed Architect to design a beautiful home for you. Yet, if you and your Architect are not able to communicate properly, you may end up with a product that is not built to your liking. The following tips will point out how you can effectively communicate with your Architect.

  • Do a bit of research- Before you begin to design your home, it is best to look around and expose yourself to interior design and existing architectural trends to decide what you want.
  • Preferred mode of communication- Once you hire your Architect, establish the most efficient form of communication between you both. The frequency and speed of response will be based upon whether you choose emails, text messages, voice calls and so on.
  • Make a schedule- Once the preferred mode of communication is established, make a weekly schedule so that you and your Architect can plan the meetings accordingly.
  • Take it one step at a time- It is not conducive to go into the details of what you need from a home right at the beginning. Start with a solid idea and then build up from there.
  • Ask for 3D views- Architects are experts at seeing 3D even when they are looking at 2D images. Ask for a 3D version so that your visions are aligned.
  • Make sure that you understand everything- Although architects will try their best to make themselves understood, they may use some terminology that you’re unfamiliar with. Get clarity on any confusion, no matter how small.
  • Get cost estimates for each design- A design may look great but before you set your heart to it, check how much money it will take to build it. This may require a builder being involved in the early stages to acquire solid budgets.
  • Show your architect a lot of pictures- Most of the time, your ideas cannot be communicated through words as you may not know the terminology. Show your Architect plenty of pictures of designs so that he or she knows exactly what you want.  It is important to also show your Architect pictures of what you do not like.  In this way, they can get in your head and understand your desires.
  • Write everything down- Taking notes at the end of a meeting will ensure that you and your architect are on the same page at all times.
  • Collaborate with your Architect and builder- At every design stage, try to collaborate between the builder and the Architect so that the designs can be feasible and beautiful at the same time.

With a little bit of effort from your side, you should be able to use the talent of your Architect to build your dream home! Feel free to reach out to TAB Associates to help build the home of your dreams!

Architect Ego Vs. Ability

As in many professions, there’s a whole world of architecture that most people don’t know about until they’re on the other side of things. Within this world, there is a common struggle among architects to keep their professional ability and their personal ego separate in their work.  We believe that an architect’s worst enemy is his ego and his best ally is his ability to combine artistic expression, construction technology, and the client’s needs.

The practice of being an architect involves creativity and design among other important skills. Architects are honored and rewarded all the time for their masterpiece creations; for some, this is the greatest goal of their career. It’s never frowned upon to aim to reach your highest potential in your career, but as an architect, it is important to remember why you do what you do.

Architects are the professionals with all of the knowledge, and their customers hold the vision of the final product. In this scenario, it’s very important that the two of these people are on the same page. There are a few key qualities to look out for when choosing the right architect.

  1. Knowledge- If it was easy, we’d all do it. Architecture is an adept skill that pulls the strings of many areas of the brain including capabilities in engineering, social communication, legal matters, business and design. Be sure that your architect understands how to apply all of these skills to make your vision come to life.
  2. Confidence- A certain level of confidence is required to be an architect. Their personal belief in their abilities helps the customer to feel comfortable in their decision. It’s important that your architect can reassure you of their abilities but not get off track.
  3. Balance- This is the most important quality to look for. Balance is achieved when the architect has an even ability to exert both knowledge and confidence in his or her work. At the end of the day, the goal of the architect is to fulfill their client’s needs and create the masterpiece they’ve always wanted. This establishes true success and talent in the architect.

While it may seem obvious to look for knowledge and confidence in an architect, it’s finding a quality of balance that is truly significant. Then, you will know you’re in good hands. We take pride in being well balanced between our confidence and our abilities, so feel free to reach out to TAB Associates for a free consultation to see what we mean!